There's Something About It
by swimmergirl103
Summary: Xandria Henderson life changes very quickly when her beloved sister gets married to a certain big guy with certain big friends. Now one of them won't leave her alone and she finds out, much too soon, she doesn't want him to.
1. Changes

_Sorry if it's bad, but I don't write romance stories. This is my first one and might be my last. It just came to my head and I thought it would make a good story. So here goes._

Changes

10-year-old Xandria skipped up the driveway, thinking about what her mom would say when she saw the flowers she had picked for her in her spot in the woods.

Her spot was a place her family discovered when they explored the woods. Xandria fell asleep in a little clearing that was surrounded by a thick canopy of trees and had a little mini forest in the middle of it. It was a little circle of lush green brush and trees. There was a huge tree that rose over everything and Xandria just happened to love to climb trees. There was a branch that stuck out in the middle of it and Xandria could sit there and no one could see her.

She opened the door and shouted.

"Mommy, Mommy! Look what I've picked for you!" Her mother, Naomi, looking as slim and beautiful as ever, came into the room and smiled, her turquoise eyes twinkling.

"These are beautiful! Thank you Xandria!" She took them into the kitchen and set them in a vase with all the flowers Xandria had picked for her in the week.

She slowly stopped smiling and said, "Xandria, honey, there are some people here I want you to meet. They're friends of Evelyn's." Evelyn, Xandria's big sister, was 28.

Naomi let Xandria into the living room where about 7 people were collected. One was Evelyn, one was Evelyn's fiancé, and one was her dad. The other four she didn't know. There was a guy about 19 years old, another about 30, a girl that was probably close to 16, and another girl that was about 26. At that time, Xandria didn't know that her sister was getting married and that by doing just that, she would change her sister's life forever.

Her dad turned to her. "Xandria, do you know what marriage is?"

Xandria cocked her head like a dog does when it's confused and said "No daddy. What is it?"

"It's when two people who love each other are joined and promise to be husband and wife. The people have to really love each other." Xandria nodded like she understood. There was only one problem though. Xandria didn't know what love was.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Evelyn's fiancé, Colin, spoke. "I know it's going to come in a shock for you, but it also means-"Evelyn cut him off. She had a pained expression on her face.

"Let's take a walk." Then she took Xandria's hand and led her out onto the sidewalk. They walked aimlessly on the sidewalk. Xandria loved her big sister. She had always admired her for her beauty and kindness. The two sisters were very close, even though they were so far apart in age. Once Evelyn had made a spectacular flower crown and gave it to Xandria. Xandria kept it in a little box that was in a place no one but herself knew about.

"Xandria, do know why daddy was talking about marriage? "asked Evelyn. Xandria shook her head no. "Well, it's because that's what I'm going to do. Colin and I are going to get married." Evelyn said carefully. "What Colin was trying to tell you was that when people get married, they live together. Just them in their house." said Evelyn.

Xandria still didn't understand. But there was a horrible possibility that was about to come true.

"Xandria, I'm not going to live with you anymore. I'm going to live with Colin. You didn't do anything wrong. It's just that Colin and I are getting married and we're moving into our house."

Xandria's eyes filled with tears. She looked up at her big sister. "You-you're leaving me?"

"Oh Xandria! No! I'm just not living in the same house as you any-Xandria, don't go!" But the 10 year old was already gone. Evelyn sighed and decided to leave her. She needed time. She walked slowly toward the house.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Xandria ran until she came to the clearing in the woods. She was almost to her spot. It was the only thing that was trustworthy anymore. She tore through the brush and past trees and as soon as she got to her tree, she scrambled up the side of it and onto the branch. Then she put her head in between her knees and cried. She sobbed and didn't know when she would stop. But when it did, she sniffled and turned around, facing the enormous tree trunk. She put her hands on it and took a breath. She dug her fingers into the soft bark and popped the door to a secret compartment in the trunk. In it stood the design that she had created with her pocket knife. A little podium rose up, higher than all the little shelves. The podium contained one thing. A little box. She took it and looked at the other stuff in it on the shelves. There was a picture of her and Evelyn, a photo of her whole family right outside the woods, a teddy bear, a clay jar, and a strip of cloth. But she only wanted that little box.

She put the box behind her and picked the bark door up and secured it into place. Now it looked like the rest of the tree. No door, no compartment, just a plain area of the tree.

She turned around to the box. She opened it and took its contents out, the flower crown, and held it tightly.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Back at the house, Evelyn had just arrived home. Her mom, dad, Colin, Arianna(the 16 year old), Nate(the 19-year-old), Calvin(the 30-year-old), and Lyn(the 26 year old) were all staring at her.

"How'd she take it?" asked Colin warily.

"Well, if you call crying and running away good, then good."

Her dad sighed. "Well, we'd better go find her."

"I'll do it." volunteered Nate, a little too eagerly. Calvin, the leader of the pack, raised an eyebrow at him. Nate shrugged.

Their dad looked at him in a weird way but said "All right."

Nate got up at the same time Calvin did. He walked toward the door and out into the fresh night air. He had taken about two steps when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Nate, did it happen?" The deep voice of Calvin coursed through Nate.

"I don't know. I felt something inside of me. It was a good feeling. Like I had no worries in the world." swooned Nate

Calvin smiled and said "It's happened then. Congratulations." And with that, he jogged back inside.

Nate continued on his way. He sniffed once and set off.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Xandria was leaning with her back against the tree. She felt her eyelids flutter and wondered if her family was searching for her.

_It doesn't matter, _she thought. She curled up and fell into a deep sleep.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Nate made his way through the woods and into the clearing. His eyes scanned the area and his nose picked up a strong scent. Her scent. He jogged to the little forest and tramped his way through the prickly bushes and around the small trees. Finally he came to an enormous tree and he smelled Xandria's scent again. He started climbing.

Grunting up the tree, he came to a branch that stuck out of the tree. Asleep on this branch was Xandria. He climbed on the branch and made his way toward her.

_It must be about 10:00, _thought Nate. He stared at the curled up 10 year old before him. He bent down to pick her up but thought better of it. He sat down and watched the sleeping child.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

"It's getting late." Murmured Thomas, Xandria's father.

"Yeah, it is getting late. I wonder if he got lost." Asked Naomi.

"It's alright, Nate will find his way back." Calvin reassured the family.

After another twenty minutes of waiting though, everyone was getting antsy.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Calvin said "If it'll make you feel better, I'll go and find both of them." Mr. and Mrs. Henderson looked relieved and nodded, assured that everyone would be safely home. Calvin started his way out the door.

He set off without even smelling the air, their scents were distinguishable enough.

He came to the clearing and mini forest and started up the tree.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Nate felt the tree tremble with someone climbing it. He was surprised and his eyes got wide when Calvin hoisted himself up onto the branch with ease.

"I-I was ju-she-I-you-"he sighed and gave up. Calvin, however, just smiled.

"It's okay. I understand. Now let's get this little girl back to her family.

They started to pick her up but she wasn't on the branch anymore. She was standing up against the trunk, her eyes wide with terror.

They two men looked at each other.

"wh-who are y-you?" trembled Xandria in a small voice.

"Sshh, we're friends of Evelyn's. I'm Nate and this is Calvin." Said Nate carefully.

"We just came to find you and bring you home." Explained Calvin.

"I-I'm not going anywhere with you." Xandria tried to make her voice sound confident, but instead, it betray her fear.

"Please, don't make this hard." Coaxed Nate. "Just come with us, we'll take you home." She wasn't convinced. So they had to do it forcefully.

Nate whispered "I'm sorry." Before he picked Xandria up and slung her over his shoulder.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Xandria was panicking. She had woken up to two men talking in front of her. Then they saw her backed up against the trunk. She was trying to slip inside her compartment but the caught her just as she got her fingers into the bark. She quickly resituated it so they didn't know about it. The flower crown, in its box, was the only thing she got into there before they noticed. They told her things that she didn't believe for a second, and when she refused to go with them, the one called Nate picked her up and was currently carrying her on his shoulders. She was beating her fists on his back and kicked with al her might, but it didn't seem to affect him at all.

They jogged back and soon they came, quite nosily thanks to Xandria, to her house.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

"What is that noise? It sounds like someone…screaming." Said Thomas. Then his eyes got big and he said "Xandria."

Naomi rushed outside to a scene of Xandria draped over Nate's shoulder like an old rug and Calvin walking beside them. The two f them seemed totally calm, but Xandria was throwing a complete fit. She was kicking and pounding her fists on Nate demanding to be put down and screaming like a banshee while a waterfall of tears spilled down her cheeks. Naomi ran over to her and took her into her arms.

"Hey, hey, it's all right. I'm here. Everything's going to be alright. I'm not going to let anyone get you. It's all right. You're home. You're safe." She whispered. Xandria just held on with everything she had and didn't let go.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Arianna glared at her brother and Lyn glared at Calvin.

"DID YOU REALLY HAVE TO CARRY HER OVER YOU'RE SHOULDER? COULDN'T YOU SEE THAT SHE WAS UPSET?" raged Arianna. Sometimes even Nate, who was her older brother and was three years older than her, cowered at his little sister's rage. "CAN YOU THINK OF NO ONE BUT YOUR OWN FEELINGS? Can't you see." She calmed down a little bit.

"She's the one." Said Nate quietly.

Arianna stopped stalking out the door and turned to look at her brother. "What?"

"I've imprinted on her. She's the one."

Suddenly Arianna broke into a huge grin, all anger forgotten in the happy moment. "That's great Nate!" she exclaimed.

There was happiness in that room, but in the room next to it, it was all anger.


	2. Be Strong

2. Be Strong

"You couldn't have handled that better? "asked Lyn in a deadly calm voice.

"Lyn, don't get involved in how we handled that. I agree, we probably could have handled it better, but we did what we had to." Calvin shot back.

"Calvin, I have every right to get involved, no matter if you're the pack leader or the homeless guy on the beach! That little girl just happens to be my best friends little sister, and you've emotionally scarred her for the rest of her life! Why in the world wouldn't I get involved?" shouted a now very angered Lyn. Both could feel their tempers going haywire, yet they were both too angry to realize it could get ugly and back down.

"Lyn, what were we supposed to do? She-would-not-come-with-us. Now, I order-" That's as far as he got before Lyn completely lost it.

"DON'T YOU DARE ORDER ME RIGHT NOW, CALVIN JOSEPH FARFIELD! YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE CARRIED HER TO WHAT WOULD HAVE SEEMED LIKE HER DEATH TO HER! IT IS YOUR AND NATE'S FAULT THAT SHE IS OUT THERE, SCARED OUT OF HER WITS AND CRYING HER EYES OUT! AND INSTEAD OF APPOLOGIZING TO HER, YOU'RE IN HERE TRYING TO ORDER ME AROUND!" roared Lyn, shaking.

Calvin, clearly surprised that she stopped an order, came to his senses, angrier than ever, and started also to shake, even though he was the one that was supposed to stay calm and in human form until a vampire came along. That wasn't the case.

"Lyn, how dare you stop an order. I am you pack leader and you will obey me."

"You know what, Calvin? Maybe you shouldn't be pack leader, considering how badly you handled the situation and did not think it through." Spat Lyn with enough venom to kill a snake.

"JUST GO HOME!" bellowed Calvin.

Lyn transformed into her light brown coated wolf form. Calvin did too. His coat was a coffee bean brown.

"_I told you Calvin, do not order me around right now." Thought Lyn threateningly. _

"_Lyn, I am the pack leader and I will order you around if I want to."_ Just then, the door opened and in came a sniffling, red eyed little girl. It was Xandria. She blinked and her eyes got big. Then she fainted. The exact moment she fainted, Nate and Arianna came in. Nate's eyes got big and he immediately picked Xandria up and carried her to a safer place and Arianna changed into her wolf form to play the part of a mediator. Now it was three enormous wolves in a tiny room. This could be a problem…

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

"You look beautiful. Not at all like the little 10 year old I used to know." Sighed Evelyn with loving eyes. It had been one year since the run in at the house. A now 11 year old Xandria looked in the mirror.

_This isn't me, _she thought.

She had the flower girl dress on which was pale blue with a white sash and a bow around her waist. She had white sandals on, along with her beloved flower crown that had taken hours to coax Xandria to get out, and her waist length brown hair hung perfectly straight. She remembered the horrid memory of the rehearsal the week before.

_A WEEK AGO…_

"All right, places everyone!" called her mom. The groom settled in front of the alter with the priest and the bridesmaids and groomsmen were positioned at the entrance. The organ started to play and they all proceeded down the aisle, pair by pair. Soon, it was Xandria's turn. This is where it got bad. She started to walk down the aisle, spreading pretend flower pedals on her sides. She swallowed and closed her eyes for a split second. But that was all the time that was needed for disaster to start. Since she wasn't watching where she was going, her foot caught on a fold in the carpet that was laid down on the soft green grass. She tripped and fell on her ankle and pain sprang up and down her leg. The ring-bearer then tripped over her and the rings went in different directions, disappearing in the lush grass surrounding the area. Everyone immediately went to help. Half the people went to look for the rings while the other half came to help her and the ring-bearer. Two people helped her up and two others attending the 5 year old ring-bearer. One of the people helping her was Nate. Worry filled his eyes.

"Are you ok Xandria? Tell me, how are you, please, speak to me." She looked at him warily. She had been wary of him since he slung her on his shoulder and carried her home.

"Yeah, I think I just hurt my ankle."

"Here, let me help you." He helped her up but she immediately fell down again because of the pain. So he picked her up and carried her to a chair.

(_END OF FLASHBACK)_

Her ankle was better now, but she was the saddest she had been in a long time. Her sister was getting married. She would be alone in the house with only her mom and dad. She just couldn't imagine it. She just sighed when Evelyn was called out of the room by Lyn, the wedding was about to start. Evelyn was ready, appearance wise and attitude wise.

"Well, here I go." That was the last thing she said before leaving the room, Xandria was left staring at the mirror. Then out of nowhere, she started to cry. She sat down and let the tears come. She knew what they were for. She had such a deep affection for her sister, and she was feeling betrayed, very betrayed. The door opened.

"Hey, are you all right?" came the voice of the person she did NOT want to be in the same room alone with.

"Yeah, yeah, I just need some time to digest this. I mean, she's my sister and she's leaving me alone."

"She's not leaving you." He came to sit by her. "Not forever at least. I had an older brother once, if this makes you feel better, but he died in a plane crash when he was 19. He was coming home from college when his plane crashed with another; I was 7 when that happened. I didn't know what death was, I didn't know what they meant by he died. All I understood was that I wasn't ever going to see him again. So at least you'll be able to visit her."

"I'm sorry Nate. I didn't know you ever had a brother, I thought you only had Arianna." He chuckled.

"You're a lucky girl. You have two parents that will always love you, a sister who adores you, and now you have Arianna. She really likes you. I wouldn't be surprised if you two became best friends."

"Xandria? Are you in there?" called her mom, right before she walked into the room. She looked slightly surprised to see Nate in there too. "Why, hello Nate. Xandria, the wedding is about to start." She motioned her to come. So she left Nate, sitting alone in her dressing room, looking deep in thought. Once again, she was positioned right behind Katlyn and Ben, a bridesmaid and groomsman of Colin and Evelyn, now with real flower petals, waiting for the dreaded music to start. Then it started. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned around. Evelyn, in her white dress looking beautiful, was looking at her. She bent down a started to whisper to her.

"Xandria, I love you. Don't ever forget that. I'll visit often, but be strong. Be strong for mom and dad. Be strong for me. Please, don't cry. I'll always be with you. I love you."

It was Xandria's turn. She took one last look at Evelyn and started down the aisle. She walked slowly, sprinkling flower petals on the sides of her as she went. She got to the alter and took her place off to the side. Nate was already positioned next to Calvin, who was the Best Man, Lyn the Maid of Honor. She looked over and saw her sister, concealed with her veil, proceeding down the aisle, stopping when she was in line with Colin. The preacher went through the ceremonial sayings until the part of 'I do's came.

"Colin Jacob Rein, do you take Evelyn Delany Henderson to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do"

"And do you, Evelyn Delany Henderson, take Colin Jacob Rein to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Evelyn stared right past Colin at me. Finally she said the words that tore Xandria up inside. "I do."

"I now pronounce you husband and wife." Colin took Evelyn in his arms and kissed her. Xandria remembered clearly her words now.

"Be strong."


	3. The Reception

_Thank you to all who review my stories! They are not needed but are appreciated! So please review! Oh, and sorry for the short chapter, I'll make it longer next time!_

3. The Reception

Xandria looked around her at the whirling and twirling dancing people. One couple was Colin and Evelyn, the newlyweds; another was Calvin and Lyn, looking kind of uncomfortable, and others.

"Hi Xandria." Xandria looked up into the coffee bean brown eyes of a boy she recognized as Colin's cousin. He was about her age, maybe a few months older.

"Oh, hi." She stared at her feet again.

"Uhh, my name is Bryce. I'm Colin's cousin." He said, attempting to make conversation again. This time, Xandria consented.

"I guess you already know my name, but yeah, I'm Xandria, Evelyn's little sister. So, how do you feel about Colin getting married?"

"It's different I guess. I mean, it isn't the first time someone in my family has gotten married. I'm the youngest of my family. I mean my whole family. All my cousins and siblings are older than me. Other than my twin brother, Lance. He's somewhere here."

"Are you guys identic-"

A boy identical to Bryce except for a few minor differences came up beside him.

"Hey Bry, watcha doin?"

Bryce looked annoyed. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm talking to Xandria, who you just rudely interrupted." He looked at her with interest.

"Sorry if I interrupted you. I'm Lance, Bry's better looking twin."

"We're identical." Said Bryce, then, under his breath, said "Simpleton." Accompanied with a shake of his head.

"Oh dear brother, you just didn't get the trait of good looks like me." Said Lance in a sing-song voice. A slow song came on and both boys looked at Xandria but Lance beat Bryce to it.

"Would you like to dance Xandria?"

"Uhh, I can't dance, I think I'll just stay here for the time being." Lance looked at her with a puppy dog face.

"Please?" he begged. "I'll lead."

Xandria sighed. "All right, one dance." Bryce had a look of defeat on his face.

"Yes, come on!" Lance left for the dance floor. Xandria leaned over to Bryce.

"I'll dance with you the next song." He looked more hopeful. That's where Xandria left him.

As soon as Xandria stepped onto the dance floor Lance appeared and gestured for her to take his hand, which she did, and he put one hand on her back and she put her other hand on his shoulder. They started to sway to the music.

"So, what were you and Bry talking about?" asked Lance.

"Well, we started on the subject of marriage, and then we talked about, well, I guess we started talking about you."

"You know, Bryce probably didn't tell you about this, but I always beat him to the pretty girls." Xandria blushed when he called her pretty.

"We were talking and he was telling me about how you guys were the youngest in your family."

"Probably not for long. Colin and Evelyn love each other a lot. I wouldn't be surprised if we have a new baby in the family before long." They glanced at Evelyn and Colin, who were dancing with Evelyn's head on Colin's shoulder.

"So, how old are you?" asked Lance.

"I'm 11, turning 12 in a few weeks."

"Oh, Bry and I just turned 12 a few days ago."

"Well, Happy late birthday I guess." Lance chuckled.

"Thanks." The song ended and Lance let go of her.

The next song was a lively tune that she and Bryce had fun with. They did ridiculous dance moves and laughed so hard that they had to stop dancing. All in all, she had the night of her life. She didn't even think twice of Evelyn leaving.

What Xandria didn't know was that a pair of unspoken eyes watched her throughout the night with pain and longing, hating the fact of her dancing with someone else than him.


	4. Ummm

_Feel free to PM me or review questions or suggestions, I'm always in the mood to correct what I've done wrong!_

4. Ummmm…

Xandria's birthday had been 2 months ago. She remembered her birthday presents, four in particular. One from Evelyn, one from each of the twins, and one from Nate. Sure, she had gotten a video camera from her parents, and various present from her friends, but these stuck out from everything.

Evelyn's gift was the news of her first ever niece, whom was going to be named Juliet.

Bryce's gift was a beautiful necklace with a ruby cross with a mini Jesus (She was Christian) and her name engraved on the back. Bryce, Lance, and Xandria had gotten to be close friends in the past few months.

Lance did something way different from Lance. No one knew about it, but he took her behind her house and kissed her. She had slapped him in the face, but she didn't think that had really affected him, he still liked her all the same, but it made her feel better.

Nate's gift was the strangest one of all. He gave her a ring. Not a ring that meant anything major, but it was what he called a "promise ring". It had the words 'Xandria, Happy 12th birthday, I hope it's the best. –Nate' engraved on the inside.

She accepted all her gifts with thanks. Now it was 2 months later and Evelyn was a few months pregnant. She couldn't wait. An aunt, she never had one, since her mom and dad were both only children.

On this particular day, Xandria was feeling exceptionally bored.

"Hey mom, can I call Bry and Lance?"

"Sure." Xandria picked up the phone and considered calling Nate, but thought better of it and dialed their number. Bryce was the one who picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bry, it's Xandria. Hey, do you and Lance want to come over and hang out for a while?"

"Hold on, let me check if it's good with my mom." Xandria heard a muffled yell and response. "Yeah, sure. We'll be over in a few. Bye." He hung up. Xandria wore the necklace that Bryce got her and the ring Nate got her everyday. She hung around until there was a knock on the door. Xandria got up and opened it. The twins stood side by side in the doorway.

"Come on in." The three kids proceeded to Xandria's room. Bryce noticed the necklace and his eyes lit up.

"So you liked my gift?"

"I love it." Lance smirked at her.

"Did you like mine?" Xandria shot him a venomous glare and Bryce didn't know what was going on.

"Hey, do have a bathroom?" asked Lance.

"Down the hall and to the left." Directed Xandria. Lance got up and left.

"So, what was his present?" asked Bryce. Xandria blushed.

"He kissed me." Bryce's eyes got big.

"What did you do?"

"I slapped him."

"Wait, you didn't want him to kiss you yet he still did?" asked Bryce, now clearly angry.

"No, no it wasn't like th-" Lance came back into the room to find a very angry Bryce and a frightened Xandria.

"What's going on here?" he asked, clearly puzzled. You could always tell when the twins were confused because they always shake their short, light brown haired heads slightly. Bryce confronted him.

"You _kissed_ her without her PERMISSION?" he practically shouted.

"Bry, it's not what you think! It was my birthday present to her!" he said cowering, his eyes pleading to Xandria to help him. Just then, her mom called them for cookies and milk. They backed down and followed Xandria out of the room, Bryce more bodyguard-ish than usual. Both boys were still glaring at one another when they entered the kitchen. Naomi looked back and forth them but decided they would work it out.

"Well, here you go!" Naomi said cheerfully, setting down a plate of cookies and brownies. She poured three glasses of milk.

"Xandria, I have to go to the store real quick, all right? Be safe."

"Ok, I'll do my best." Naomi grabbed her purse and left. The tension was so thick in the room, you could make soup out of it. The twins were staring lasers at one another, you could almost see the electricity between their eyes. Xandria took a cookie, dipped in milk and took a bite, the boys soon after. There was a knock at the door. Xandria went to get it. She opened the door.

"Hello?" Then she realized who it was. "Nate? What are you doing here?"

He blushed. "I came here to see you." Now it was Xandria's turn to blush. Why was a 19 year old here to see her?

"Xandria? Who is it?" came the voice of Bryce. Nate looked confused.

"Who else is here?" he asked.

"Ummm, I got really bored so I called Colin's twin cousins, they're my friends."

"Oh, you could have called me." Xandria blushed a deeper red.

"I thought you'd have better things to do than hang out with a 12 year old, you know, because you're 19 and all." He had a shadow of a smile paying at his lips.

"Come on, it's only a 7 year difference." Xandria cracked a grin at him.

"_Only_ a 7 year difference? I thought you'd probably be hanging around with your girlfriend or something." He gave her a weird look.

_Did I really just say that? _Xandria thought.

"Well, I don't have a girlfriend." He said rather sheepishly.

"Oh, I just thought with your build and looks-" she shut up immediately.

_Oh my goodness, did I really just say he's buff and cute? I am so stupid… _she thought, turning her face away so he didn't see the blush. He was just raising his eyebrows and grinning like an idiot at her.

"You really think I'm muscular and cute?" he said teasingly.

"No,no! I just-it slipped-I mean-never mind." She gave up with a sigh. All the sudden there was shouting from the kitchen. Xandria sighed.

"I'd better get that, they were practically at each other's throats when I left." Then came a crash.

"Why?"

"I accidentally let it slip that Lance kissed me without my permission at my birthday-" Xandria mentally slapped herself for saying that.

"He-did-WHAT!" roared Nate, before stomping into the kitchen with Xandria in quick pursuit. The scene she found was not pretty. Cookies and brownies were scattered all over the floor and milk was everywhere. It appeared that Bryce had lunged at him from across the table. Now Bryce and Lance were rolling around on the floor, fighting. Nate went over there and pulled them apart with ease. He set Bryce down but continued to hold Lance.

"Nate! What are you doing! Put me down, please! I didn't mean anything by the kiss! I really didn't!" Nate calmed down and set him down.


	5. The Last day of Seventh Grade

5. The Last Day Of School

13 year old Xandria couldn't wait for another day to pass so she could go to the picnic her mom and Evelyn had arranged. It was a beginning of the summer picnic and Colin's friends and Xandria's friends were all coming. The main reason of her happiness was seeing Evelyn and Juliet again. Juliet had been born 2 months earlier. She had started out 7 pounds 6 ounces and was 18 inches. Now she was 14 pounds 9 ounces and 30 inches. She loved her niece like nothing in the world.

"Xandria, what is the square root of pi?" The sharp voice of her math teacher brought her back to reality. It was the last day of school and he was still reviewing.

"Pi is an irrational number that has a square root that never ends." recited Xandria. Her math teacher nodded.

"Let's listen instead of staring off into space from now on shall we?" Xandria turned red, making her dark eyes look darker. The bell rang and she gathered up her stuff, long, silky, brown hair swaying the way she moved. There was a traffic jam at the door with ecstatic students ready to end the last day of school, but Xandria's slim figure allowed her to slip through the crowd with ease. Now to homeroom to get ready to go home. Two tall, familiar, shaggy light brown haired boys made their way toward Xandria. She smiled.

"Hey Xandria! We haven't seen you in a long time!" Xandria chuckled.

"You guys see me everyday at school."

"But that doesn't count, because we mean in our free time." Lance protested.

"Yeah the last time we saw you was when you invited us over and we had to leave because of our…_issues_." Bryce said with a glare at his brother. Xandria laughed out loud.

"Come _on_. It's been a year since that and you guys are still fighting about it? I forgot about it until you guys brought it up!" she said. Lance smirked.

"How can you forget one of my kisses?" he said deliberately loud so that the other kids around them shot curious glances in their direction. Bryce shot daggers at his brother.

"Dude, I would shut up if I were you right now." Xnadria's grin turned into a sigh.

"Guys, please don't fight, we're still at school, and there's no Nate to pull you guys off each other.

"Who said there was no Nate?" came a voice from behind Xandria. She turned around with a look of disbelief on her face to Nate.

"Nate, what are you doing here!" hissed Xandria. A few people had stopped to stare at the gigantic teenager.

"Your mom asked me to pick you up because she's preparing for the picnic."

"Oh, ok." He got an amused smile on his face.

"On the other hand I volunteered, because I wanted to see you again." The twins had their mouths agape at this sentence, along with 50 other students.

Xandria blushed crimson and turned on her heel only to stalk to her homeroom as the bell rang. Nate looked at the twins.

"Did I say something?" They looked totally lost.

"Dude, she's a girl. You never know with girls." They said shaking their heads.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

Xandria walked out of the building, blushing at the stares coming from her fellow students, along with the whispers.

"Wait, so Lance kissed her and-"

"That guy was huge! I wonder-"

"What about Bryce? Did he-"

"Is that gut her brother or her-"

Xandria just ignored them all. She looked up to see Nate heading for her. He had his keys in his hand.

"Hey X, you ready to go?" She glared up at him, invisible lasers shredding him.

"I would just as soon as walk home than get in that car with you!" she said, venom dripping from her voice.

"What did I do? Come on, let me take you home."

"Go curl up in a fetal position, just like you great aunt Bella did." She shot at him. He still refused to get angry, he didn't want her to get hurt.

"Tell me what I did and I'll fix it! I'd do anything for you."

"DON'T YOU GET IT? I-DON'T-WANT-YOU-TO-TAKE-ME-HOME!"

"But I do."

"Well, too bad for you because I am not getting in that car and you can't make me." Only a few students remained in the parking lot of the Middle School. He sighed.

"Am I really going to have to do this again? I hate doing this, but you leave me no choice." That was the last thing he said before picking her up and swinging her onto his shoulder. She screamed and started to beat on him, demanding to be put down. The tears started to fall as he put her into his car and locked her seatbelt so she couldn't get out quickly. He got in and locked the doors. He started the car and drove off. Xandria worked on her seatbelt and when she got it undone, they were driving along a dusty country road.

"Can I roll down my window?"

"Sure."

_I can't believe I'm doing this, I can't believe I'm doing this, I can't believe I'm doing this, _thought Xandria, over and over again in her mind. Nate started babbling about the picnic and Xandria slowly got onto her knees without making a sound.

He was still babbling. Good.

She leaned out the window until she was half out. Then Nate looked into his review mirror.

"Xandria! What are you doing!" She looked at him calmly, if she looked at him surprised and guilty, it would ruin her plan.

"Letting the wind take me."

"Oh, I thought you were trying to kill yourself." She shook her head. So of course, being a guy, he started babbling about the picnic _yet again_.

She took a deep breath and slowly eased herself out of the car. She gulped as she looked at the blur of a road below her. Nate still didn't notice. But he would if she didn't get off quick. So she took a deep breath and let go.

She hit the pavement painfully, but she kept rolling to avoid most of the impact.

Only a few scratches, nothing big. She took off at a sprint, disappearing onto a familiar track that led to her spot. As she ran through the woods, she got the distinct feeling of someone watching her, following her.


	6. Picnics and Rain Don't Mix

6. Picnics and Rain Don't Mix

**Please review! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and determined to get the next chapter up as fast as I can! So PLEASE review!**

As Xandria continued through the woods, the feeling of watching and following was still there.

_Oh well, it's probably just my imagination, _thought Xandria, _nothing to worry about. _But she still put her guard up.

Finally, she came to her clearing. Then she took in who was there.

_Oh no! _Thought Xandria, for there in the clearing, was Nate.

He saw her and sprinted to her, shaking.

"Xandria Henderson! What did you think you were doing, jumping out of my window like that! You could've been killed! You don't know how worried I was." Then surprisingly, tears started to fill his eyes. "Xandria, I thought I would never be able to see you again. Just like my brother. You don't know how much you mean to me."

"I guess I don't." Xandria looked at her shoes. "I'm sorry I jumped out of your car." Nate looked at her for a second then embraced her in an enormous, crushing bear hug.

"Nate-I-can't-breath!" choked Xandria. Nate pulled away and they both blushed, making a red color blend with their brown skin.

"Come on, let's take you home." Xandria smiled and followed him to her house.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

When they got to her house, the sun was setting. They entered in the door and Xandria was immediately tackled into a hug by her mom.

"Xandria! Where have you been? Are you hurt?"

"Mom, I'm fine. I just had a little run in." Her mom looked up at Nate.

"What happened?" She said in a sharp voice that meant _and don't you DARE try to lie to me_. Nate looked sheepish.

"Well, I went to pick her up from school but she got mad at me for some reason I don't know and refused to get into the car so I had to pick her up on my shoulders and put her into the car-" Her mom sighed at this, "-and I locked her seatbelt but then she unlocked it and…"Nate trailed off.

"Aaaannnnndddd?" her mom prodded.

"And she jumped out the window." Nate said quickly and then cowered down. Her mom looked outraged.

"SHE WHAT?" screamed Naomi, she was scary when she got like this.

"She jumped out, ran to her spot but I found her and took her home." Nate said in a tiny voice. Naomi closed her eyes.

"I cannot believe you didn't notice right away. That was very irresponsible of you Nate, you to Xandria." She said, her voice clipped.

Xandria looked at her shoes. "I'm sorry mom."

"Nate, you are not coming to the picnic tomorrow."

"WHAT?" they both said at the same time.

"That's right, you will not be coming. I am to speak to your mother and demand that you are grounded." Nate was speechless, but Xandria wasn't.

"No mom, it wasn't his fault, it was mine. I made sure he wasn't-" that's as far as she got before her mom cut in.

"He will not be coming and that is the end of the discussion." She said. "One more word and you won't be going either." Xandria gave her mom a glare before darting out of the house with tears in her eyes. She raced to her spot and through the blur of tears, she thought she saw something move. She brushed it off though because she was so upset. She swung her body up to the first limb, then the second, and on until she came to her branch. She took a big breath and convinced herself not to cry. She sat against the trunk and watched as the sun disappeared in breathtaking hues of purple, yellow, and red.

Xandria had been coming up here a lot lately. When she had a bad day or something. The tree was her only stronghold in the storm. In some weird way, it comforted her. It wrapped its peaceful limbs around her to protect her from the darkness outside. Sometimes, she would cry herself to sleep in its arms. It just stood there, tall and proud as ever.

Then, as sudden as Xandria could blink, it started to rain. Not sprinkles of it, but buckets, soaking her instantaneously. She lifted her head to the heavens and closed her eyes, letting the rain fall on her face. She felt the rain pitter-pattering onto her dark skin. She savored the feeling of the day being washed away, dripping off her like the raindrops, smoothly rolling to the sides of her face then down to her chin and letting go, only to fall onto the soft brown bark of her tree branch. She reveled in the wetness, the coldness, of the tiny orbs of water, falling to her face, renewing her.

The tree shook slightly and a face revealed itself at the branch. Xandria brought her head down to look at who it was. It was someone she didn't know. Someone who had red eyes and deathly pale skin. She (at least she assumed it was a she) had sandy blond hair and looked about 15.

"Who are you?" asked Xandria curiously. The girl just looked at her with her blood red eyes.

"C-can you talk."

"Yes." She answered simply. There was a growl and the girl turned in shock and fright. Then as suddenly as she was there, she was gone. The rain kept pouring, not wavering even the slightest. Nate appeared where the girl had been just moments ago. His eyes looked wild, untamed.

"Was there somebody here?" he asked forcefully. Xandria debated whether she should tell him or not.

"N-no." she said. Nate looked doubtful, but didn't say anything about it.

"Come on, your mom wants you home." She got down and Nate walked protectively right beside her, as though something, or someone, was going to get her. He kept looking back and to his sides, even though Xandria couldn't see anything through the still pouring rain. They arrived safely back home.

It rained and rained and rained that night. When Xandria woke up in the morning, what she saw outside was terrible. The streets were completely flooded and there was trash and small brush everywhere. She went downstairs but stopped right outside the kitchen, when she heard her mom on the phone. She usually didn't eavesdrop, but they were talking about the picnic.

"-flooded and there's brush everywhere. I don't see how everyone's going to get there in these conditions." There was faint babble over the phone, but it was loud enough to let Xandria realize it was Evelyn on the other end.

"No, we'll have to. I know she'll be heartbroken, but we can't get there. I'm sorry, but we'll just have to cancel it. Maybe we can reschedule it. All right, we'll do that. Bye, love you." She hung up. Xandria came out with a look of horror on her face.

"We-we're canceling the picnic?" she said weakly. Naomi sighed and came over. She wrapped her in an embrace and whispered to her.

"Xandria, we didn't want to do it, but it had to be done." Xandria Bolted out of the embrace and out the door. All the way to her spot, for the second day in a row. Man, she had been having bad days a lot recently.

One thing was different though. The mini forest was the only piece of dry land in the middle of a new lake. There was water surrounding it.

_Oh no, the rain must have flooded it last night, _thought Xandria. Now even her stronghold was gone.


	7. The Girl with Sandy Hair and Red Eyes

_Hey, sorry for such a short chapter but I'm having major writer's block, I promise it'll be longer next time!_

7. The Girl with the Red Eyes and Sandy Hair

Xandria sat down and stared helplessly at her tree in the middle of the lake. There was a rush of wind behind her but she paid no attention to it. All the sudden someone spoke.

"What is it that you are staring at?" asked an inquiring voice. Xandria turned around to see the sandy haired girl she saw the day before. She was trying to see what Xandria was staring at.

"My tree." Even though she didn't know her, Xandria didn't care if the girl knew or not. Her everything was over there. Her crown, her compartment, her stuff, her branch, everything she cared about.

The girl looked confused. "You can…_own_ a tree? Xandria smiled a bit.

"Well, no. But I call it that because I use it for so many things. It's where I come when I'm upset or need to think. Were you the girl who I saw yesterday?" The girl sort of bit her lip and hesitated but nodded her head.

"What's your name?" the girl asked. Xandria knew she shouldn't be giving her name out to strangers but she did anyway.

"Xandria. What's yours?"

"My name is Lisette." She said. Xandria blinked.

"Wow, that's an old name." Lisette looked saddened.

"It is. I hail from a…different time." Xandria looked at her like she was crazy.

_Geez, is this girl sane?_ She wondered. Lisette kept staring straight ahead. Her long sandy hair was fluttering and suddenly she turned to Xandria and fixed her blood red eyes on her dark brown ones.

"You're not safe here." Xandria's heart skipped a beat because of the way she said it.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Lisette's eyes bore into hers.

"Stay in town with your family. Don't come back here, or you will be hurt. I don't want you hurt." Xandria just stared at her. "And it might be me who hurts you." Lisette's voice sounded like she was crying but there were no tears. She reached out her hand to put it on Xandria's arm but thought better of it and pulled back.

"I'm sorry we met. It would've been better if we hadn't. Go, and don't come back for a very long time." With that she left Xandria to her thoughts and the ghost of her words lingering in the air.

Xandria just stared out at the lake. There was a snap of a twig behind her and her head swiveled toward the sound. There was no one behind her but Xandria remembered Lisette's warning, so she ran as fast as she could back towards her house.

Meanwhile, hidden in the trees, four pairs of red eyes watched her run, then discussed. The leader of them spoke first.

"I want her." A tall, long black haired man said.

"Dorian, she's just upset, that's why she comes here. Besides, she was here before we settled here."

"Lisette, you know I hate being talked back to. Besides, her being here first is not taken into account. I _will_ get her."

A different vampire spoke up. This one was Dorian's mate, Harriet. "Dorian, I wonder if she has family." She said with a sly smile. Her very blond hair shook already with anticipation.

A small, brown haired vampire of the age of 9 named Braxton looked around at his coven. He was only 9, and had only been a vampire for 2 months. He was still very young. Dorian and Harriet were raising him because Harriet wanted a child, so they found a boy of Harriet's liking and changed him. Lisette had been a vampire for more than 125 years. Dorian had been for 101 years, Harriet for 70 years. Dorian found Harriet shortly after she had been changed. They brought Lisette into their coven when she found them being chased by a mob. She helped them escape and they had been in search of a remote area where the public wouldn't be suspicious of disappearances ever since.

Braxton was confused. "Lisette, why don't you want to feed on her?" Lisette was like a big sister to Braxton, even if they weren't related.

"Because she is nice and doesn't deserve to die." Braxton wrinkled his nose in thought.

"Since when did you care whether someone does or doesn't deserve to die before feeding on them?" asked Harriet. Lisette sighed.

"I guess just now."

"Well, then you don't have to feed on her, but stay out of our way." Said Dorian. He and Harriet left, leaving Braxton and Lisette. Braxton looked at her.

"I don't want to feed on her either."

"What?"

"She doesn't deserve to die. She's a good person but she has a lot of inner conflict." Lisette stared at him in wonder.

"How do you know that?"

"I can tell you everything about everyone in the world, including if they're a good or bad person. It's my gift. I haven't told Dorian or Harriet about it because I don't know what they'd think of it. They're like my parents, and who'd I go with if I was kicked out?" Lisette looked at him.

"Braxton, I would protect you. Don't be afraid." They left and followed Dorian and Harriet.

…

Xandria arrived back home to her mom waiting for her. She could see she was upset.

"Xandria, what's wrong?"

Xandria averted her eyes. "There's a new lake. My forest is in the middle of it."


	8. Learning Things that Mess Up Your Life

_I'm sorry if this chapter is bad, but I am having some major writers block. So if you have an idea of what should happen next, please PM it to me or review it to the story because I am really running out of ideas for her 15, 16, and 17__th__ age chapters, which are the middle because her 18__th__ year is the finale, so if you want this story to continue, I need some ideas!_

8. Building Boats and Learning Things that Mess Up Your Life

Over the next year, Xandria got on with her life but missed going to her tree. A lot had been going on in her 14th year of life and she needed the comfort of her tree. She was going to be a freshman in a few weeks. Her dad had passed away unexpectedly 4 months earlier of a heart attack. Evelyn and Colin moved to England due to Colin's thinking Juliet would be better off growing up in a different environment, away from the people that 'are like the old me.' She was also dating Bryce but she knew Lance also liked her.

Then, one day there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get mom." called Xandria. She opened the door and Arianna was right outside. Xandria was surprised.

"Uh, hi," said Xandria, "your Nate's sister aren't you?" she smiled.

"Yep, that would be me!" she said with a slight smile. Then she noticed her down face. "What's wrong?" Xandria sighed.

"I had a favorite spot in the woods, a year ago when we had that bad storm, the land around it flooded, so now there's a lake surrounding it now and I have no way to get to it." Arianna thought for a minute.

"Build a boat." She said simply. Xandria looked at her.

"I don't know how and there's no one to help me and I don't have the materials to do it."

"I'll help you. We can go to the store to buy the materials and get a guide, because I'm sure there's a guide to building a boat somewhere!" Xandria was surprised she would do that for her.

"Umm, today?"

"Yeah, right now if you want." Said Arianna, also called Ari or Anna.

"Let me see if it's okay with my mom."

"Mom? Is it okay if I go to the store with Arianna?"

"Arianna's here?" said her mom as she walked in from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. "Hi Arianna! How are you? How's Nate?"

_Why is my mom so obsessed with Nate? _Wondered Xandria.

"He's good, on his patro- errands around the res." Naomi smiled nervously, sneaking a furtive glance at Xandria.

"That's-uh-great!" Naomi said, as if trying to hide something. Xandria looked curiously at Naomi and Arianna.

"What's going on?" The woman and the young adult looked at each other, as if having a silent conversation or sharing a secret.

"Umm, nothing." Said Arianna, still looking at her mom. She had a weird look in her eye, something like…worry.

Out of nowhere, an old dream emerged her mind. It was a short dream, one she had that terrible night she thought she was being kidnapped by Nate and Calvin. The dream was she had walked into her room and she saw three humongous wolves. She woke up on the couch the next morning. That was the weirdest dream she had ever had.

Xandria shook off the dream she had had 4 years ago. She didn't even know how she remembered it; she wasn't usually the one to remember.

"So, can I go?"

"What are you getting?" Xandria shrugged.

"Nothing much, just some materials to build a boat." Her mom looked confused.

"Ooookkkaayy, let me give you some money." Her mom left the room and came back with 50 dollars.

"Here you go."

"Thanks mom." With that, they left.

In the car, Xandria shifted uncomfortably in the front seat of the jeep Arianna owned.

"So, how old are you now?"

"Uh, 14. How old are you?" Xandria asked nervously.

She saw a small smile form on Ari's lips. "I'm 16."

"Oh, you're only two years older than me?" asked Xandria.

"Evidently yes!" They arrived at the store. When they got into the store, Arianna walked up to the information desk and asked where building supplies would be. The lady at the desk pointed her to the very back of the store in a little outside area. They browsed, looking for wood, paint, the stuff that makes the boat float that they didn't know the name of, boat-making guides, etc. They finally came upon a section for 'Build-a-Boat!' They wandered around a few more seconds when a young store worker came up to them. He was about 17 years old with spiky red hair and freckles. His eyes were a dull redish, kind of like a rust color. In a weird little way, he reminded Xandria of a leprechaun. She smiled.

"Can I help you with something?" he said, mainly to Arianna.

"Umm, we were looking for materials to build a boat." He smiled real wide at her and she raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Well, then you're in the right place! May I suggest this type of wood and if you're trying to make it…" they both stood there listening until half an hour later, they walked out of the store with arms full of supplies. They got in the Jeep and began the journey back to their house.

…

The young man with the spiky red hair and rusty eyes went furtively into the bathroom. He slipped into a stall and began peeling off his disguise. First, the wig. Then the contacts, which were hiding his blood-red ones. He changed into some normal clothes and then went to the sink and washed his face free of the spray on freckles that came in a can. Now he was a pale, black haired man with a cell phone.

"I caught her finally. Her and that, filthy _dog _were in the store buying boat materials. I think they're going to build a boat to go to the island." He smiled with evily. "Right into our trap."

…

Back in the car, the two girls were cracking up.

"X, did you see the way he smiled at me? His eyes were nearly closed!" Arianna laughed with tears in her eyes. When they calmed down, Xandria started to speak.

"Thank you Arianna, for doing this for me. It means a lot." Ari ruffled Xandria's hair.

"It's all I can do for my future sist-"Arianna stopped mid-sentence and stared straight ahead, hoping Xandria wouldn't have heard that. But she had.

"What did you just say?"

"Nothing, nothing." She looked pale.

"Arianna, what's going on? Is this what you and my mom were silently discussing this morning?" Arianna sighed and pulled into the grass on the side of the road.

"Xandria, I can't tell you about this until you're 18." Xandria furrowed her brow curiously.

"But Ari, I want to know now." She sounded like a 4 year old and she knew she did, but she didn't care, she wanted to know.

"Nate's going to kill me when he finds out I told you about this," Ari muttered, "but here goes. Xandria, do you know about, werewolves?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, werewolves and vampires are real. Nate and I, we're not werewolves," she said quickly, noticing the color drain out of Xandria's face, "we're something called shape-shifters. Shape-shifters are people who can turn into…huge wolves either when they get really mad, when there's a vampire around, or really whenever they want to. Me, Nate, Calvin, and Lyn are all shape-shifters. Colin was to, until he married your sister and chose to give up his ability to shape-shift so he could lead a normal life. Lots of us do it, but about one person on the res discover that they're shape-shifters each month, so we lose and we gain. Juliet might be a shape-shifter. They usually don't find out until they're about 16 though. Then there's something called imprinting." Arianna ran her hand through her hair. "Here's the hard part. Imprinting is when a shape-shifter finds their…soul mate if you might. That someone who keeps them down to earth, the very reason to live. The person they love so much they'd be anything for them. A sibling, friend, solace, whatever. And they won't stop loving them. Ever. Which is why a shape-shifter and the person they imprinted on usually end up getting married." She thought for a moment. "In fact, they always end up getting married. Shape-shifters never age unless they give their ability to shape-shift up. Like Colin. He'll age now. Shape-shifters might imprint on someone who's much younger than them, but they never age so they wait until their imprinted grows old enough for them to…well, you know. And well, the thing is, is that Nate-"

"Has imprinted on me." Xandria finished sadly. "So I basically have my future painted out for me. I'm have to get married to Nate." Xandria looked up at Arianna sadly, with tears in her eyes.

Arianna looked down but nodded. "I'm sorry Xandria."

Xandria put her head in her hands and cried. Ari pulled back onto the road and they road back in silence except for the soft sobs of Xandria.


	9. Permenately Messed Up

9. Permanently Messed Up

Xandria sat in her room with a blanket draped over her shoulders and a mug of hot chocolate in her hands sniffling. Her mom opened the door and came to sit by her.

"How are you?" Xandria looked sadly up at her.

"How do think I am? Learning your future isn't the best thing. I don't know what to do. I mean, now I understand things I hadn't before, but I also found out I have a future that I have no say in." Naomi hugged her.

"Xandria, you do have a say in it. No one can choose what you do with your life. No one. You can choose to live it however you want. Don't let this ruin the only life you have."

"I only have my own life until I'm 18 though."

"Xandria, why 18?"

"That's what Ari said. She wasn't supposed to tell me until I was 18." Naomi sighed.

"She really did tell you everything, except for the fact that Nate was supposed to be the one who told you." Xandria stood up abruptly, knocking the blanket off her shoulders and setting the hot chocolate on the bedside table.

"I don't care who would've told me. I just wish everyone would stop keeping secrets about my own future from me." She sat down again. "It is my future, right?" She started to cry again. Naomi comforted her again.

"Xandria, remember what I said. It _is _your future, and no one can control _your_ future. The only thing you can do is live it." With that she left.

Xandria mulled the thought over in her mind. She still sat there. She heard the door open and her mom admit someone to the house. Footsteps on the staircase. Creaking floorboards. The dark shadow of a pair of feet stop outside her door. A hand on the doorknob, turning it slowly. And in stepped Nate.

Xandria's eyes got big. "GO AWAY!" she screamed.

Nate looked confused. "X, what's wrong?"

Xandria buried her head into her pillow. "You know perfectly what's wrong."

"No, Xandria, I don't. Will you tell me what's wrong so that I can fix it?" Xandria came up to glare at him with tears streaming down her face, now in a fierce expression.

"There is _nothing _you can do. This is all Evelyn's fault! If she hadn't introduced me to you, You never would've met me either, which would result in this whole mess of a situation never happening!"

"Hey hey hey, How did Evelyn come into this? And what situation are you talking about?"

The door opened a little and her mom's voice from the hallway came. "He doesn't know you know Xandria." The door closed again and their feud went on. Nate swung around with a look on his face.

"Xandria, what don't I know that you know about?"

"You know. You started it, but you never told me. Now I know."

"Xandria! Will you please tell me what's going on here? Because I have no clue!" Xandria's voice dropped to a dead whisper. She looked him straight in the eye.

"I know all about shape-shifters. About you, Lyn, Calvin, Arianna." She looked away, "About imprinting." Nate looked like he had been slapped in the face.

"Oh no. No no no. You weren't supposed to know about that until you were-"

"18." She finished for him. Nate looked at her sadly.

"I'm sorry Xandria. I'm sorry that I never told you. I'm sorry you had to find out. I'm sorry if your life is ruined because of me now." He put his head in his hands. Xandria sniffled but didn't say anything at first. Then she sadly looked at him.

"Nate, why didn't you tell me?" she said, not hiding the betrayal in her voice.

He looked at her, a look of concocted feelings of confusion, anger, hurt, and sadness. "Don't you see why? Look at yourself! You're a mess because you know, and you're 14. What do you think would happen if someone told you when you were 10, or 11?" He waited for an answer. Xandria looked down.

"I would've reacted the same way, maybe worse," Nate threw his hand, gesturing that he was right, Xandria narrowed her eyes at him and went on venomously, "but at least I would've known." Nate put his hand down and looked away.

"Xandria, I have one more question for you." She glanced at him but did not say anything.

"Who told you?"

Xandria's eyes got wide and she shook her head. Nate narrowed his eyes.

"Xandria Rain Henderson, who told you?" he put some authority into his voice. Unfortunately for him, Xandria didn't like when someone tried to boss her around. Especially people who she was mad at. She turned to face him with such an angry, fierce, enraged look in her eyes that Nate actually cringed and took a tiny step back.

"_YOU KNOW WHAT NATE? I WOULDN'T TELL YOU IF MY LIFE DEPENDED ON IT! I WOULDN'T DO IT IF __**YOUR**__ LIFE DEPENED ON IT!"_ Xandria's eyes got big as she understood what she had just said. Nate's face was completely calm, but his eyes told different. They were filled with the hurt and sadness and pain that were in the words just shot at him by Xandria. He nodded tersely.

"I'm going to go now."

"Nate-alright." She thought of apologizing but thought better of it, thinking of one reason she should apologize for telling the truth.

Ouch.


	10. More Truths To Be Revealed

10. More Truths to Be Revealed

Xandria entered in the door from coming home from school. She was fifteen and a freshman in high school. The sight she saw was slight…bemusing. Nate was sitting there on the couch talking with her mom. He wore a pair of ragged jeans and a black shirt. His hair was messed up and his eyes were tired and wild, like he hadn't slept in weeks. They hadn't noticed her presence yet.

"I've been going crazy Mrs. Henderson. I just, can't take it anymore! I have to see her!" Naomi crossed her arms and got a stubborn look in her eyes, not unlike she could do.

"Nate, she doesn't want to see you. She told me last year that she never wanted to see you again."

"When did she tell you that?"

"Right after that day when your sister changed my daughter's life. That day that you last saw her."

"Exactly. She was angry and sad and she didn't know what she was talking about."

"Nate, if there's one thing you should know about Xandria is that she _always_ knows what she's talking about."

"Mrs. Henderson, I-I haven't seen Xandria in a year. Do you know how much I've suffered? Do you know what that has done to me? Let me tell you. After I left your house, I ran to mine and didn't speak to anyone for three weeks. I didn't eat, I didn't sleep, I didn't phase for _three weeks_. She was the only thing on my mind for the last year. I finally ate, slept, and phased, but two weeks ago, I broke down again and I went crazy. My family said I drifted around the house every day mumbling things that didn't make sense. I had to be taken care of like I was a one year old again. At night, I took walks that lasted the whole night and I haven't slept since. You don't know what it's done to me." Nate said with a strange voice. Naomi's glare softened.

Finally Xandria couldn't take it any longer and stated, "Did you really do all that because of me?" Naomi looked shocked. Nate was staring at her like he had just seen an angel from heaven.

"Did you hear all of that?" asked her mom.

"Yeah, pretty much." Nate got up and slowly walked toward her and embraced her in a gigantic bear hug.

"Nate-can't-breathe!"

"Sorry." He backed away. "Do you still not want to see me?"

"I forgive you Nate. I forgave you a long time ago." He looked very relieved.

"Then I can see you again?"

"Yeah."

Her mom however, looked wary still. "Are you sure about this X?"

Xandria looked at her mom. "Yeah, I'm sure." Her mom still looked wary, not wanting her daughter to be hurt again.

"Okay. I'm gonna run to the store real quick. Nate, please take care of Xandria." Their eyes met and they got strange looks in them, as if they had come to a silent agreement on something Xandria didn't know about.

"Alright. I will."

Once her mom had left, Xandria asked, "Nate, what was all that about?" Nate looked uncomfortable.

"What was what all about?"

"You know, the eye thingy with my mom. When she said 'take care of Xandria'. What was that all about?"

Nate gave up. "Well, there's kinda someone stalking you."

"Ok Nate, enough games. I mean I knew you were stalking me, but you don't have to make it sound like you're another person." Xandria joked. Nate looked serious.

"No, there's someone or something that's been following you since you jumped out of my car."

"Oh." Xandria said in a small voice.

"We think it's a vampire." Suddenly Xandria had an idea.

"Um, Nate? What do vampires look like?" He looked at her curiously.

"They usually have blood-red eyes and very pale skin. They sparkle in the sunlight too."

"Sparkle?"

"Yeah, they're skin sparkles." Nate said. Xandria started to giggled.

"What?" Nate asked bewildered. Xandria just laughed harder. Nate joined in eventually. Soon, they were both rolling on the ground laughing.

When they stopped they just laid there, catching their breath. They sat up and Nate looked at Xandria.

"Xandria?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you forgive me?" Xandria looked thoughtful.

"Well, I thought about the time when I jumped out of your car and you found me and told me how much you were worried. Even though I didn't realize it then, I thought about it and it's amazing what epiphanies a fifteen year old girl can have-" Nate cracked a smile at this. "-but I realized that you actually meant it and that you really do care about me. When Ari told me about imprinting and everything, it explained a whole bunch, the time you tended to me at the wedding, what you told me in eighth grade, all of it unraveled itself when she told me that. So when I realized that it was true what she said about a shape-shifter being a best friend, a big brother, or anything else, I finally got the concept that you would never intentionally harm me or hurt my feelings in any way. So I forgave you, but from now on Nate, don't keep secrets from me, even if the truth might hurt." Nate stared off into space.

"Well, I've got to go now." He said. He was at the door when he stopped and said, "Hey X? Stay away from Bryce and Lance. Please. I don't want you getting hurt." He opened the door but Xandria had one final question.

"Nate?" He stopped, "Why did you forgive me?" He turned fully around and looked her straight in the eye.

"Because I love you." And he was gone.


	11. Based On What I Thought Was Real

_I am so so so so so so a million times so sorry for not updating since…well, let's just say a long time. I've been so busy for a long time with school and sports, so if you can forgive me, I have a gift for you-a chapter._

11. Based on What I Thought Was Real

Xandria walked hand in hand with Bryce down the calm park lane. Fall was in the midst of shedding its leaves that had recently been changed from green to brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow so that the ground looked like it had been set on fire.

"Hey X, there's something important I have to tell you." Bryce motioned for her to sit on the nearest park bench with him. They had been dating now for 1 and a half years. They had something pretty solid, though Xandria made it waver when she considered Nate's warning to her about getting hurt with Bryce. As they sat in the shade of a humungous oak, the sixteen year old boy talked to Xandria, who turned sixteen about 6 months ago.

"Ok, I need you to hear me out, okay?" Xandria got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach at these words. "I meant to tell you as soon as we started dating. I-I just couldn't do that to you. You're just the nicest, smartest, prettiest, bestest person in the world."

"You know I can't take you seriously when you say bestest."

"My point is that I've got some baggage."

"What kind?"

"Ok, you know that night of the wedding when I came up to talk to you?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that was a bet. I was too cowardly to say no to Lance. But we've been together for so long and-and I realized within a month that you're all the things that I'm not and I don't deserve you because you're the best person in the world." He looked down at his shoes.

Xandria was numb to all emotion. She stared at him with a blank expression.

"Why did you pick now to tell me?"

"I-I just couldn't keep it from you any longer."

Xandria just sat there.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." Then Xandria got mad.

"You didn't mean to?! What do you mean, you didn't mean to?! You can't not mean to do something like that and not tell anyone. You just can't."

"I meant to tell you! I just…" he trailed off.

"I thought what we had was real. Now I know it's all been based off a _lie." _

"It was based off a lot of things. It was based off of real things, emotions, feelings."

"No Bryce. It was based off of what I _thought _was real." He gave her a look like a dejected puppy. She turned away, tears forming in her eyes. She hated hurting people.

"Xandria. Just please, if you ever see Lance, know that he was the one who started it." Xandria just walked away.

The clock struck midnight, and she was gone.

…

Xandria walked the lonely halls of Granger High School. She saw a blur of someone running and a flash of blond hair before she was bowled over by a tall girl with arms full of boxes.

"Oh! I am so sorry! I couldn't see over these boxes of running shoes. Are you alright?" the girl gushed worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She stood up and started collecting the boxes.

"I'm Tori by the way."

"Xandria."

"Oh, aren't you Bryce's girlfriend?" She looked down.

"No."

"But I thought you guys were dating."

"There are some things that aren't for me to decide. There are also things better off left unsaid."

"Sorry."

"S'okay, you didn't know. So, you're a runner?"

Tori smiled. "Yeah, best on the team."

"That must be rewarding."

"Yeah, it certainly is."

"Well, I gotta go, homework to do." Tori smiled.

"Alrighty, see ya around!"

"Hey Tori?"

"Yeah?"

"What grade are you?"

"Sophmore. You?"

"Junior. Bye."

"Bye!"

Xandria was so caught up with her thoughts that she didn't realize there was someone in front of her. She walked straight into them. She looked up at the person and saw it was Nate. She gasped back a sob and hugged him.

He'd been away now for three weeks and was yearning to confide in him what happened. He hugged her back tight.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Xandria could just sob and shake her head. "Come on, let's go." He led her out to his car. The wind was chilly that day and it had started to rain.

"I-I have my car right t-there."

"We'll come back for it." She nodded.

When they were safely in his car, Xandria broke down crying. Nate hugged her again.

"Will you tell me what's going on now?" She nodded again.

"Bryce and I-we, we-it's over!" sobbed Xandria.

"Xandria. I'm so sorry." Xandria sniffled and looked up at him. He meant it. He was actually sorry for her. She saw it in his eyes. They were deep green, kind and compassionate, loving and caring. The rain poured down and pounded on the windshield and window. They couldn't see anything outside, that's how hard the rain was coming down.

Xandria broke out into another round of sobs. This time, though, it wasn't about Bryce. It was happy and sad tears at the same time. The happy tears were because Nate was always going to be there for her. He would never leave her, and when she thought that was a bad thing just two years ago, she realized it a good thing. He would be there to comfort her and be her crying shoulder. He would be there to celebrate her accomplishments. He would be there even if she didn't want him to be.

Nate just sat there and comforted her. When her tears subsided, he smiled at her.

"Feel better?"

"Yeah. Thanks for listening to my pathetic sob story. And sitting there while I cried my tear ducts dry." She looked away. Nate laughed a little.

"It isn't easy for me to just sit there while you cried, you know. I was hurting too. I can't stand it when you're upset."

Xandria was speechless.

"I-I'd better get back, my mom will be worrying if I don't."

"I'll take you home."

"Ok, thanks."

They drove in silence. They reached her house and when Xandria was getting out, Nate grabbed her hand and looked at her.

"Bye X."

"Bye Nate." She gently tugged her hand away and walked into her house where her mom was waiting for her with look of dread on her face.

_Sorry for the cliffhanger! I'll try to get another chapter up quickly! REVIEW PLEASE!_


	12. IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE

THIS IS IMPORTANT!

I have been having major writer's block for this story and so if you want it to continue, you really need to give me some ideas. PM me or review it, I do not care, I just need ideas. So consider it, give me an idea and be credited in my author's note, or have the story die and never know what happens. Please, choose the idea.

Grace be with you,

Leeanne


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